SCAREFIELD, the electrifying, horror infused force in the world of thrash metal, SIMONE MANULI and MARKUS KRISTOFFERSSON, is set to shake the foundations of the music scene with their latest single and accompanying animated music video, "Ancient Evil." This track is part of their highly anticipated EP, NIGHTMARE TALES, an H.P. Lovecraft inspired masterpiece that promises to plunge fans into a sonic realm of darkness and chaos.
“We’ve always been enthralled by the works of H.P. Lovecraft ever since first reading the story ‘The Call of Cthulhu’. It’s been a great pleasure as musicians to try and put the feelings of cosmic dread we’ve felt reading the stories to paper and into the music itself. When writing the song ‘Ancient Evil’ we wanted to make sure the dynamics of the song fit well with the lyrics and the progression of the story. Even the instruments provide feelings of doom and magnitude, from the chanting of the cultists in the chorus to the impending dread of the guitar solo. It could appear like an easy listening metal song but the structure is more complex than expected: different bpms and time signature, from classic 4:4 to 5:4 and 7:4, several vocal lines and electric guitar layers, very fast double kick drum parts. It will remind you of many metal band styles: Metallica, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Blind Guardian. It’s what we were looking for and we hope you like it as we do.” – SCAREFIELD
"Ancient Evil" encapsulates the essence of SCAREFIELD's signature sound—ferocious, relentless, and unapologetically heavy. The track weaves a tale of cosmic horror inspired by the works of the legendary H.P. Lovecraft, plunging listeners into a world where ancient malevolence lurks in the shadows.
The accompanying animated music video for "Ancient Evil," created by ANDREA MANTELLI, is a visual feast, bringing the nightmarish narrative to life with stunning and eerie imagery. Fans can expect a journey through eldritch landscapes and encounter otherworldly creatures, perfectly synchronized with the band's sonic onslaught.
“Since the story of the track ‘Ancient Evil’ was so important and could obviously not be displayed through a live action video, we decided animation was the way to go. The illustrations picked for the animations are meant to provide the listener with a sense the magnitude of the story in the song as a world-shattering event of cosmic horror as the high priest of the great old ones awakens!”
“Imagine yourself around a campfire telling scary stories with your friends. Imagine the clear skies of a starlit night and warm glow of fading embers. Imagine the chill running down your spine as you hear a noise from the darkness behind you. This is NIGHTMARE TALES.”
In addition to the new single, NIGHTMARE TALES features four previously released singles, each meticulously remixed and remastered to deliver a fresh and intensified sonic experience. SCAREFIELD's dedication to pushing the boundaries of their music is evident in these reimagined tracks, promising both longtime fans and new listeners an immersive and powerful journey through the realms of thrash metal.
“This EP is the culmination of our previous quartet of singles paving the way for our upcoming album, *A QUIET COUNTRY*. The EP contains remixed and remastered versions of our first 3 singles as well as our metal cover of 'House of the Rising Sun,' and a brand new track called ‘Ancient Evil’ from our upcoming album, about the dreaded Cthulhu.”.
Four of the tracks off of NIGHTMARE TALES were written and recorded by MANULI / KRISTOFFERSSON, with drums recorded by JOE MARTINO, produced and mixed by MANULI, and mastered by RONNIE BJÖRNSTRÖM. The metal cover of "House of the Rising Sun" features RICH GRAY (bass) from ANNIHALATOR and HUGO RIBEIRO (drums) from MOONSPELL, readapted by MANULI / KRISTOFFERSSON, with vocals recorded by KRISTOFFERSSON and acoustic and electric guitars by MANULI. The album features Illustrations by NICK THE SCARECROW.
“During the road towards the release of our upcoming album, A QUIET COUNTRY, we wanted to provide a taste of what’s to come, enter our EP NIGHTMARE TALES! This EP contains within it 5 songs of varying style which we feel perfectly displays the range listeners can expect from us moving forward. It is like the publication of a short story to wet the appetite for the upcoming novel. If you like what you hear, you will love what comes next.”
Click to Purchase / Stream 'NIGHTMARE TALES' Online
SCAREFIELD is a speed / thrash metal band inspired by the horror genre, in particular by the colourful and bombastic 80’s horror movies. The music consists of many familiar themes of both speed and thrash metal with additional influences from more modern forms of metal music, such as melodic death metal, as well as classic heavy metal. SIMONE MANULI, the founder of SCAREFIELD, reached out from the plains of northern Italy to the frigid north of the arctic circle in northern Sweden where he would come in to contact with vocalist MARKUS KRISTOFFERSSON. The music, produced by Simone, was co-written and co-composed by the two members, melding their unique styles and influences into an interesting new take on the classic metal styles incorporated.
Self-produced and -written, the music contains massive atmosphere, fast riffs, melodic strings and heavy drums. The vocals are a mix of clean melody and power as well as the harsher death metal style vocals of the modern day. The lyrics contain topics such as personal stories, interesting concepts and of course the aforementioned horror theme!
During 2023 the band released 4 single tracks leading to the upcoming album the following year. These singles included 3 original songs as well as a metal version of the traditional folk song "House of the Rising Sun" featuring RICH GRAY from ANNIHILATOR on bass and HUGO RIBEIRO from MOONSPELL on drums.